Israel Places $50M Order for Heron MALE UAVs

The Israeli Air Force has placed a USD $50+ million order for Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) Heron (Machatz 1) medium altitude, long endurance unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The IAF cited increased need for surveillance UAVs following withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. The first Heron will be supplied in the next few days, and the order also includes a long-term maintenance contract.

IAI Heron MALE UAV

The Heron/ Machatz is capable of flying for more than 50 hours at a time at altitudes exceeding 32,000 feet. It has a maximum range of about 3,300 kilometers and can carry a maximum payload weighing 250 kg/ 550 lbs. It is built to carry multiple payloads at a time for a variety of multiple missions, which can include electro-optical and thermal surveillance equipment, SAR radars for ground surveillance, maritime patrol radars and sensors, signals and other intelligence collection antennas and equipment (SIGINT/ ELINT/ COMINT), laser designators, and even radio relays.

As an ilustraton of the Heron’s ultiple-payload capabilities, the photo at the top of this article would appear to show a Heron UAV in SIGINT/ ELIT/ COMINT mode, plus a small electro-optical sensor in the nose and what appears to be a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) for ground scanning.